The Minority in Parliament has demanded an apology from President Akufo-Addo for joining thousands of mourners to flout Covid-19 protocols at the funeral of late former NPP General, Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afrieyie last week.
According to the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, this action by President Akufo-Addo and top functionaries of his government, in breach of the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), demonstrates that he is not determined to nip the pandemic in the bud.
“The President owes us an apology that as a Commander in Chief he was there when this thing happened, I mean nothing could be said rather than for him to apologise to the rest of the country.”
His comment follows the circulation of a video on the funeral rites for Sir John on social media, which shows thousands of people, including the President and his Ministers, gathered in complete disregard for physical distancing and limited use of face masks.
Pathetic, failed, and oppressed Ghana.
A group of Ghanaian youth yearning for a better Ghana wanted to protest but were denied because the state claim we are in a pandemic.
Look at us celebrating and glorifying a man who died of covid?
Shame on us #FixTheCountry pic.twitter.com/bFCEhVz4HN
— SEA (@SandraEsinam1) June 3, 2021
Unhappy with the turn of events, scores of Ghanaians on social media, also criticised the incumbent government for flouting Act 1012, which it put in place to prohibit mass gatherings amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Adding his voice to the condemnation, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has accused the government of being selective in the application of the law.
According to him, it is wrong for the incumbent administration to slap several individuals with charges for breaching the Covid-19 safety protocols whiles they engage in similar unlawful practices.
He says it will be hypocritical of government to turn a deaf ear to calls to punish individuals who breached the covid-19 safety protocols at Sir John’s funeral.
“We are looking at the law enforcers, we are looking forward to seeing some form of prosecution and some punishment to people who are found culpable because you can not decide to make one set of rules or Laws for Ghanaians and you will decide to break the laws at any given point in time, we don’t do that.”
“I think the President must lead by example and you have made clear laws that people should not gather more than 25 at a funeral then you have a funeral where almost all the Cabinet Ministers were present, the Vice President was present and the President himself, you and I know what killed Sir John in this country and we saw the President file past that corpse,” he added.
Earlier this year, three members of the Christ Embassy Church and manager of the Fantasy Dome were slapped with charges for breaching Covid-19 protocols during a recent church event which hosted thousands of worshippers despite the ban on social gathering.
Mr Akandoh is of the view that, the law should be enforced to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We are all not above the law so in all honesty, I think that something must be done about it, the president before any prosecution must come back and address the whole nation on this matter and apologise.”
Source: myjoyonline.com
